Review: Bulb Boy for Nintendo Switch

Bulb Boy is a spooky point-and-click adventure, that reminds us a lot of Courage the Cowardly Dog — and maybe the cartoon even inspired the polish developers from Bulbware a bit. Nonetheless, Bulb Boy shines a light on a genre that hasn’t been represented on Nintendo Switch so far — and after playing the title, we hope more point-and-click games will follow.

Story: A nightmare comes true

The protagonist of this game is the little person who also gives it its name: Bulb Boy. One night, he awakes from a terrifying nightmare, only to discover that his bulb house has been overtaken by evil forces. His trusty dog and beloved grandpa both vanished and Blub Boy has to gather his courage to find his loved ones.

Bulb Boy cannot only light up his head, he is also able to unscrew it and enter enemies to control them. Everything is part of the fascinating, but a bit short story of this horror adventure game.

The developers didn’t opt for any dialogue, there is some gibberish in a few sequences, but most of the story is presented through the nicely animated sequences only.

Although this is a horror game, it isn’t particularly frightening. Bulbware, however, managed to create a spooky atmosphere and some gross-looking monsters and environments. Be prepared to look a lot at poop, body fluids and other stuff.

Gameplay: It isn’t really point-and-click

Although Bulb Boy originally was a point-and-click game, it isn’t on the Nintendo Switch. The developers changed the control scheme to the joystick; you control the little Bulb Boy with the left stick and interact with things using the A-button.

We would have liked a touch-based implementation for the undocked mode. It would be really easy and comfortable to control Bulb Boy by simply tapping on the screen without having to use the Joy-Cons.

There isn’t much else to say about the gameplay. Puzzles have to be solved by combining items; sometimes it’s also necessary to avoid monsters, either by running away or hiding. There are also some flashbacks when Bulb Boy remembers things from his past; you’ll be able to play as other characters and unlock the mystery this game has to offer.

Bulb Boy for Nintendo Switch is, like GoNNER, a game that doesn’t explain anything. You’ll die a few times because you didn’t know what to do but will eventually figure it out by trial and error. One particular instance is at the end of the game when you can control another character with the right stick — that took us a bit to figure out.

Audiovisual presentation: Creepy greenish goodness

Bulbware did a great job designing the charming characters, animating them and combining the beautiful visuals with eery music. The visual style reminds us of modern cartoons, but thanks to the green tint, it looks a bit like a modern Game Boy game.

If you, like us, grew up with Courage the Cowardly Dog, you’ll fall in love with the graphics and style of this game. Through-out Bulb Boy for Nintendo Switch, you’ll encounter some references from different movies you might’ve seen. Check out the two screenshots below and see if you know the movies.

Performance wise, we didn’t encounter problems during our undocked gameplay. Bulb Boy for Nintendo Switch stutters a bit when progress is being saved, but that isn’t a problem because it doesn’t affect the gameplay.

Final words about Bulb Boy for Nintendo Switch

Bulb Boy for Nintendo Switch is one heck of a debut title for the polish developers, who sat the bar very high. Yes, the game is not long and you’ll see the end after around two hours. We still consider Bulb Boy for Nintendo Switch to be a title every horror, adventure or point’n’click fan should download. Grab your Nintendo Switch, go on a hiking trip and play this little gem alone at night in your tent.